Automobile steering mechanism.



R, SYMMONDS, JB. 1 AUTOMOBILE STEERING MECHANISM.

APPLCATOE FILED AUG.2,1906.

Patented Feb. 8, 1910.

l1 2 efe/'Zion' 120526K lefllleiy' @fwwm /f/ (fefc' ruega -"UNITED STATES PATENT or ROBERT SYMMONDS, JR., OF KENOSHA, RYISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR '1:0 THOHAS B. 'i A JEFFER-Y, 0F KENOSHA, `\\"ISCONSIN.

AUTOMOBILE STEERING MECHAMSM.

l i lo all uiom. n may concern:

lle it l-:nown that l, lloiinii'r Si'iiiioxns.

Specification of Letters Patent.

at Kenosha` count v of Kenosha. State ot' ll'isconsin. have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automobile eer- ing Mechanism, and dei-lare the following to i be a tull7 clear, and exact description of the saine, such as will enable others .skilled in the art to which it pertains to nialte and use the saine, reference being' had to the acconipanving drawings, which t'orin a. part of this speeitication.

mobiles and more particularly to steering mechanism for self-propelling;l vehicles.

Automobile steering mechanism as usually rconstructed comprises a hand wheel fixed upon an upright shaft, and ineans interposed between the shaft and the steeringj wheels for directing the course of the vehicle according to the direction of rotation y.of the. hand-wheel. 1t is desirable that a comparatively slight'l pressure exerted upon the hand-wheel may positively control the direction otl movement. of the vehicle.

The priinar \v object of my invention is t0 provide a mechanism for operatively conne'ctingr the steering shaft. of an automobile with the steering wheels, which will quickly and certainlyY control the. course ot' the automobile and will require the exertion upon the steering wheel of comparatively little force. Y

iji further object of my invention is to provide a steering mechanism for automobiles which will be .simple in constructione inexpensive in manufacture, and etlicient in use.

My invention as herein embodied may he generally described as comprising an upright shaft, a sleeve having a coarse screwthread thereon secured to the lower end ot the shaft. a hand-wheel tixed to the upper end ot' the shaft, a casing adapted to be secured to the frame of the automobile within which the lower end of the shaft extends, a nut surrounding and engaging the screwtliread on said sleeve. a bell-crank lever fulcrumed upon the casing, one arin of which is pivotally connected to the nut, while the other arm is adapted to be secured to the steering rods, a tube supported upon said casing and surrounding the steering shaft,

Patented Feb. S, 1910.

Application tiled August 2, lvds. Selial No. 328.87...

and a support for the .steeringy shaft mounted upon the upper end of said tube. Jr., a citizen of the United States7 residing,T

The saine reference characteis are used to E designate the saine parts in the two figures of the drawings. My invention relates in general to antollet'eienre character de ignaies a casing for securing the saine to the traine ot' an automobile, such means being shown as a. bracket A having; holes a'. a' therein through which fastening devices ina)7 extend. The lower end of the casing is providedwith a removable bottom plate A2 secured to lugs on the lower end ot` the casin;1r b v screws 0"'.

B indicates a beller-ank lever fulcrumed upon a rod Zi supported b v the casingr A. The short-arm Pf' of the bell-crank lever extends through an opening.: 11 in the casing to the interior thereof. while the loneei* dependingT arni It o't' the bell-erank lever is adapted to be connected to steering rods (not shown). The, short-arm Bf of the belle'ank lever is bifureated and i'eeeives between the portions IF, Z thereof a lug,r c projecting from a sleeve C east around a coarse threaded nut C. The init is breferabl made of hard inetal around whili the sleeve C is cast. projection c' being preferably provided on the nut to be embedded in the sleeve.

D indicates the steering-shaft which is preferably tubular and extends at its lower end within the easingr D indicates a screw-threaded sleeve fixed npoii the lower end ot' the shaft l) and engaging the nut C. Surrounding the shaft D a tube E supported at its lower end within the restricted upper end r ol the casing A. Secured to the upper end of the tube l is a ring E through which extends :i post F rigidi)1 secured to the upper end i o. the steerincr shaft l). lhc post Ii"` pio vided with a reduced portion f extending within the upper end of the hollow' shaft D.

A ring f is formed on the post F and rests crank lever through the medium of a screw upon the upper end of the shaft D and unl derlies a shoulder e and the ring E.

A hand-wheel G is rigidly secured to the tween the bell-crank lever and nut.

upper end of the shaft D through the medium of e hub g'engagmg the portion of the post F projecting above the ring E.

H designates a nut for tightly securing f may be conveniently secured to the frame the hub ot the hand-wheel on the tapered portion of the post It" projecting above the rino E.

threaded Sleeve and nut without necessitating provision for a relative movement. be-

Froin the foregoing descriptit-.n it will be observed that l have invented an improved steering mechanism for automobiles' which of the machine, and which though simple in eonstrutiou is ellicient and durable in use.

D 'l'he hollow shaft D may be convenientlv secured at its lower end within the sleeve C' and at its upper end around the portion 'of the post by brazilie'. The lower end of the support tube E may be secured within the reduced portion e of the easing also by brazing `while the upper end of the tube li Ilaving now fully described in v invention, what I claim as new and desire to 4cure by Letters ateiit is:

l. ln a steering mechanism for automobiles the combination with a steering shalt,

of a easing into which the lower end oi said may be secured in a similar manner within the lower end of the ing E'.

The operation of my invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description, and is as follows: Rotary motion applied to the hand-wheel is communishaft extends, means for securing said casin;r to the automobile tramet a tube mounted upon -said leasing, and surrounding said aliaft, a ring carried by the upper end of cated to the hand shaft l) which rotates the screw-thrcaded sleeve D within the nut C ing to the direction of rotation of the handwlieel. The upward or downward move- Inent of the nutC' oseillates the bell-crank lever B tnrough the pivotal engagement besaid tube, a circular flange fixed to said .shaft and underlying said ring, a hand wheel fixed to said shaft above and engaging said ring, and means located within said casing engaging said shaft whereby a r0- tary movement of the shaft will be comthereby moving the nut up or down accordtween the bifiircated arm ot' the bell-crank tion of the hand wheel.` The upward and downward movement of the nut will be m the arc of a circle described around thev fulcrum of the bell-cranl lever as a center.

A slight lateral movement will consequently be imparted to the lower end of the shaft l),v

but, such lateral movement is so slight that it is readily permitted by the connection between the upper end of the shaft. and the surrounding supporting sleeve.

The shaft 5 is prevented from movinr upwardly or; downwardly by reason of the flange f nderlying the shoulder e and the hub y' overlying the upper end of the ring E.

By sup orting the shaft merely at its upper end) adjacent the hand-wheel it is possible to connect its lower end to a, bellmnnicated to the steering wheels of the automobile.

:2. In a steering mechanism for automobiles the. combination with a steering shaft, ol' a casing into which the lower end of said shaft extends, means for securing said casing to the automobile frame, a tube mounted upon said caing, and surrounding said shaft, a ring carried by the upper end of said tube, a circular flange tired to said shaft and underlying .said ring, :1 hand-wheel fixed to said shaft above and engaging Said ring, a nut located within said easing surrounding and engaging a screw-thread on the lower end of said shaft, a bellcrank lever fulcrumed upon said casing, one arm of which is adapted to be connected to the lsteering wheels, and means for pivotally connecting said nut between the bifureated portions of the other arm of said bellcrfmk lever.

In testimony whereof, l sign this Specification in the presence o two witnesses.

noni; rr SYMMONDS, JR.

Witnesses J. XV. DE CoU,

CHARLES T. Auoi'r. 

